many users complain (see comments)
some web design issues
keep me signed is not working properly

Pro

no fees

Update: From 12/7/2016 Coinbase does not support buying or selling Bitcoin anymore – they recommend Coinbase instead. Goodbye Circle, we wont miss you anyway 🙂

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Defining one of its aims as having bitcoin go mainstream, Circle makes its name known in the cryptocurrency world by the $17M funding raised in its Series B Financing. Circle is a quite new bitcoin service as it exited the beta stage on October 1, 2014. Let’s take a look at the details of what it offers to the bitcoin ecosystem.

First of all, it should be noted that Circle is not an exchange where you can trade bitcoins with others. You just deposit money to Circle, or withdraw. If you deposit USD, for example, Circle converts the money you deposit into BTC at its current market rate, and you see bitcoins in your account. You may then send bitcoins to others, to withdraw your bitcoins, or withdraw USD at a later time at the market price of that time.

Circle.com Availability

One of the first things that attracts attention is that Circle comes in 7 different languages; English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese. This makes the website available for the global audience. However, using Circle from outside US is not that easy because only US bank accounts and credit cards are accepted for deposits and withdrawals. If you insist using Circle in your country, you first need to get bitcoins; then you can send bitcoins to your Circle account, since there is no restriction in bitcoin transfers from or to Circle.

Almost all of the world currencies are accepted. We especially checked Bolivian boliviano, which is the Bolivia’s currency, where the central bank has banned bitcoin, and Circle even has an exchange rate for Bolivian boliviano, as long as you make the deposit from a US bank.

Circle has a mobile application for both iOS and Android, which makes its use available at any time by bringing the convenience of a mobile application.

Circle.com Reliability

Circle.com is owned and operated by Circle Internet Financial Inc., a licensed US money transmitter company regulated by the FinCEN, the enemy of all bitcoin gambling sites. They have a solid anti-money laundering statement and they express their commitment to securing your money anywhere they have the chance to. Despite our inability to find the physical location or phone number of the company, personal details of the management team members and the board of directors are easily reachable at the website’s About section.

Circle.com Security

When signing up for an account in Circle, you have to give a valid mobile phone number that you have access. This is favourable for security reasons, because each time you sign in to your account, Circle sends you a text message for a code verification, which makes it really hard for malicious hackers to leak into your account. On the other hand, it is not so favourable if you want to stay anonymous.

The SMS verification is also the standard option in logging in, though you may change the verification method as Google’s 2-factor authentication, which is more versatile than SMS verification.

As for the security of your deposited coins, Circle claims its security system is military-grade. Also, in the front page, it is said that “All of the money in your Circle account is insured at no cost to you.” As with all such online financial services, customers still need to take necessary security measures. In the security settings, we recommend requiring 2-factor authentication for all withdrawals to attain the utmost security. Since Circle stores bitcoins in cold wallets, it is really so unlikely that your coins get stolen by any hacker attack.

All in all, Circle’s security level is arguably even higher than that any commercial bank currently offers.

Circle.com User experience

Circle has a very simple and easy-to-use design. Texts are easily readable, look is stylish. Once you are logged in, there are two simple buttons; add funds and withdraw funds, both of which will guide you through the necessary steps to put USD to your account or withdraw your balance to a US bank account.

Other than that, you may send or request BTC. You may use those features to deposit and withdraw BTC, or to send coins to others. Those features allow you to specify the transaction amount in any given currency to facilitate calculations.

To send bitcoins to another Circle user, you only need their e-mail address. Those type of transactions are done in Circle’s databases and they do not take place in the bitcoin’s block chain, so they are called off-chain transactions. Circle is one of the first financial services to provide off-chain transaction capability with a bullet-proof security.

Support and Availability

If anything goes wrong or if you otherwise need help, you are welcome at Circle Help Center, where you will find many of the most encountered issues. The help centre also have the full support for the 7 languages Circle offers. If you need any further help, you may call Circle customer services, albeit it’s available only on weekdays from 10AM to 2PM EDT. Unfortunately, there is no live help, but the ticket-based support is easy work with, helpful and reliable. Though the ticket system as well is seemingly open only on weekdays.

Circle.com Review Conclusion

There are some web design issues. For instance, when you click one of the links at the bottom of the page while you are logged in, such as About and News, the directed page is shown as if you were yet to log in. It has also been observed that “keep me signed in for 30 days” is not working properly. Those are the issues that Circle may easily solve, and it is so likely that there won’t be any such issue in a very short time.

Maybe the most remarkable feature of Circle is its no-fee policy. Besides no fees being taken in withdrawals and deposits, the conversion rate is more or less the same with any exchange, which means that there are no hidden fees, either. Of course, all bitcoin transactions require a fee by the bitcoin network itself. However, that fee is most of the time negligible, being as low as 4 US cents. The fees required by bank, as well, apply in depositing and withdrawing funds.

In conclusion, Circle is an innovative payment system that combines the bitcoin infrastructure with cutting-edge security, offered in its simplistic design that makes it easy for anyone to have and work with bitcoins.

They recently sent an email promotion that if I refer friends I get $10 once they start sending money. I added 3 friends and they come up with excuses not to pay the referral promotion they emailed me. I would advise people to use Coinbase.com its easier and customer service responds to problems quickly and they are trustworthy with their bitcoin prices and promotions they offer. Johnny the customer service rep at Circle.com is shady.

PrimaTX, 24. July 2016

30

I was enjoying the simplicity of using circle.com and have made multiple transactions successfully until recently when there seemed to be a hiccup in my buying. The transaction didn’t go through and my funds were returned to my bank but it’s been over 3 days now and all I get when I log in is this.
“We need to check a few things.
We need to take some additional time to review your account. We’re sorry for the delay. You will receive an email from Circle when your account is ready. This process typically takes 3-5 business days.”
I haven’t received any response to my emails or any explanation.

Michael blake, 14. August 2016

Would like to buy bitcoins

Sebastian, 19. August 2016

20

Be aware of these Scam Artist. They are the first Bitcoin Dictatorship.
This is my experience: I am very new to bitcoin and still learning but I already had several experiences good and bad I would like to share. One of my first experience and with no idea how to purchase or where, I found this website called Circle.com. I saw how easy it was to acquire Bitcoins there so I decided to purchase $100 usd. The purchase experience was ok, a little long but I guess since I was a first time user. I finally received my bitcoins on the 4th business day and got on email telling me to please cash them out. I was a little confused since I just recently purchased them. On the whole Idea that I wanted to have my first Bitcoins, not to loose money stupidly by doing what they we’re obligated me to do. I wrote to them and received information that they wanted to verify my account. To me this is becoming suspicious! They sell bitcoins but they also make you unwilling sell your bitcoins. I guess they can be called the first Bitcoin Dictatorship! Since I am completely against this I decided to just leave my bitcoins and wait a little so I can get my money’s worth back and leave far far away from this company. At the moment I was loosing 11% already do to bitcoin devaluation. After a couple of days I received and email saying my account has been closed, and go wonder….. I can’t obtain my bitcoins. Please be aware of this company and there narcissism! Do not let your money get stolen here. I will be posting email proof and could send to you directly if needed.

Don´t throw away your money! They sell you bitcoins you can´t transfer and then close your account. Obviously they keep your bitcoins since your account in no longer existing.

robert sullivan, 25. August 2016

20

worst customer service ever. terrible service. very hard to get ahold of a person to help you. do not even have live chat. all you get is automated emails and it takes them days to respond to problems, which there are many! every transaction seems to be a problem with this firm. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of Circle!!!

jabberjoe, 31. August 2016

Do not use unless you want to be ripped off or wait weeks for your BTC.

If I could give a rating of Negative 1000 I would.
They took my money and then, after taking my money, they required me to provide everything short of my dna and still have not released the BTC, it has been about a week. I asked them to release the BTC or refund my money and they said they need to check some stuff and I will get an email in a few days!!!!

They were very condescending. I will never ever use them again.

CICI, 13. October 2016

10

Horrile

Andy, 18. October 2016

100

These fake reviews are hilarious. Circle.com are by FAR the best “PUBLIC” way to get your BTC. Yes, you have to verify…but guess what? You have to verify at EVERY exchange. Yes, the limits are low at first ($300/week). But after a while, they’ll bump you up to $1000/week and then up to $3000/week. I see people here complaining about their customer service…are you kidding me??? They’re the ONLY bitcoin provider that I’m aware of that actually have a freakin’ PHONE NUMBER for you to call them directly. Yes. A human being answers the phone. Unlike the OTHER BTC exchange (ahem, Coinbase) where you can only post in a rinky dink “help” forum and just HOPE that your question gets answered. Coinbase also has some of the most asinine limits I’ve ever seen and they are SLOOOOW. I’ve been using Circle for almost a year without a problem.

lawrence, 18. October 2016

Hey Andy and all the other users i need clarity, some of my friends mentioned that buying bitcoins with a credit card is instant or not, as i dont want to wait for 3 to 5 days.
Please provide me correct info as i am aware that with debit card its instant.

Richard, 5. November 2016

Hi there. Simply just planned to request a simple dilemma.

gabe, 6. November 2016

80

Circle did me right. It seemed too good to be true. This is always a red flag. So just in case, I created a separate checking account from my main one with only $100 in it. I signed up and immediately put $80 into my circle account. The money transferred right away. I then tried to send bitcoin to my blockchain wallet and twice it failed pretty quickly. Against my better judgement I sent a pic of my license and a selfie. Then I tried sending bitcoin again and this time it seemed to be working.
Two hours later and I get the failed to send message. right away I tried to cash out. But I got the “We’re looking at your account” message. My heart sank thinking I had just been scammed. I wrote an email to support asking what’s going on and why can’t I cash out. Went to bed that night thinking I had been had.
The next day, customer support emailed me and said everything was good. So I signed in and did anther bitcoin transfer. This time it went through almost instantly. Needless to say I was very relieved.

I’m giving them 4 stars instead of 5 because I think there is an issue with how they present the process. The help section needs some serious fleshing out as well. Privacy issues and initial setup aside. This should now be the fastest and easiest way to get bitcoins.

JR, 7. November 2016

10

Take all your info and then decline you without reason. Just collecting data. Probably selling it.

Ken, 7. November 2016

100

After reading all the negative reviews, I’m confused. Are these fake reviews, or are some people really this stupid?

I’ve been using Circle for about eight months. NEVER a problem.

Yes, you have to send in verification, but as someone else here pointed out, that’s true with every exchange, to varying degrees.

I simply use Circle to buy Bitcoin, and have the Bitcoin sent directly to my own wallet. I don’t hold anything on the Circle site. So if anyone has any doubts, just try this:

1) Create your own independent Bitcoin wallet (if you don’t have one already)

2) Create an account at Circle, and get verified

3) When you buy your Bitcoin, just put your Bitcoin address in the “Send To” box.

It’s that simple. The purchase is instant, and as near as I can tell, the transaction is basically “at cost.” That’s a lot better than some other sites where you’ll be paying a 30% markup for your Bitcoins.

Honestly, Circle is probably the best site I’ve seen for smaller Bitcoin purchases. I’ve probably made between forty to fifty transactions with them, with no problems at all. I’m really puzzled why other people are claiming to have problems.

R. Brown, 22. November 2016

10

This service is a complete joke. Jumped through all of their hoops to verify account (pics of front and back of DL and selfie) 12 hours later I get a form email saying my DL isn’t clear enough to analyze which is complete BS its crystal clear… The photo and address data is all legible. I was skeptical about loading funds on this site, now I know why…

Avoid At ALL cost!!!!

Paracelsus, 24. November 2016

20

Same experience as described above by R.Brown. I have submitted my ID and selfie for verification for at least 10x in good quality and each time I got an automated message that my ID photo quality was not sufficient (made with a 5 megapixel new smartphone). Customer service cannot figure out the problem. They advise me to resubmit, resubmit, resubmit… F*** them! Enough is enough. They are just giving ME the runaround due to THEIR POOR verification protocol. There are MANY OTHER BC wallet providers on the market to choose from.

Xavier, 30. November 2016

Avoid at all costs. Thieving, lying !@#$s. Seriously, ANY other option is better than this.

First time using BTC, made a deposit into my new circle account from another website I had some cash credit and an option to cash out as BTC. Roughly ~$400 USD.

As soon as I tried to send a portion of this to another BTC address, my account got locked down and they demanded to see “proof of ID”. I was confused… but OK sure – I sent my ID. Account has now been closed, support does not respond, and my $400 is stolen.

I say again, CIRCLE ARE THIEVES AND FRAUDS. Avoid at all costs.

Richard, 6. December 2016

Hi, everything is going well here and ofcourse every one is sharing information, that’s really fine, keep up writing.

not available, 23. December 2016

10

fine and dandy. they collect you the email and phone number and then they’re telling you it’s not available in your area.

just say it right before i submit all the info.

Kansas Serritt, 10. January 2017

10

My experience with Circle was horrible. They say you don’t get charged for debit card transfer however I got charged $11 for $400 transfer. Come to find out it was because it is a business card. They don’t specify business debit card is different. To me not being in the financial sector a debit card is a debit card.

They are horrible at follow-up. You make request or submit things on their website and it seems to just disappear with no follow-up on their side. Customer server has a very condescending tone my experience with 3 different individuals about 2 different issues. That is culture of a company not a specific individual’s personality.

They quit supporting bitcoin but never sent a notice to me. They said it was sent 12/6/2016 but I don’t have it. I am an IT Director so I can see the email server logs to search for anything submitted from anyone with a circle.com email address. I have no email showing that it was sent. If I could give them less than half a star I would.

NoNonsense, 31. January 2017

10

Circle.com has ruined the BitCoin experience for me. Unfortunately the other bad reviews are not planted because I am currently being denied my Bitcoin by them. The other bad experiences by other reviewers are also validated by Circle’s recent change away from Bitcoin on 12/7/2016. There was no notice of this like the reviewer above mentioned and looking at the email I have from them that day, it was announced after other offers like it was no biggie. Went to try to cash out and transaction was cancelled. I was accused of trying to take advantage of a bonus coupon by a snarky support staff. When I explained that I wasn’t aware of a bonus (which you’d need to have a promo code for according to the website check by me that followed) and that I’m just trying to cash out since I didn’t know they were no longer doing Bitcoin, the snarky staff member then accused me of violating their ever-changing user agreement. – I agree that Circle is keeping our Bitcoin instead of letting us cash out. Everything was fine with them up until I went for my $ and support staff used to be friendlier and professional. I have a feeling that the money/coin is already gone. Maybe Snarky knows Circle’s on its way out.

Alex, 25. March 2017

100

Work perfectly.

Jennifer walker, 31. December 2017

I suggest that no one should trade BTC with Coinbase. There are other great services out there. I for one, use Liviacoins whenever I wish to buy or sell BTC